This invention relates to leveling devices and particularly to such devices for mounting and leveling heavy loads.
Machine levelers in various forms have been sold over the years whose designs are represented by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,987,726 4,114,845 2,819,037 4,576,357 3,306,562 4,858,865 3,325,145 5,110,082
Certain improvements, however, are desirable, such as, for example, being able to weld the leveling device to steel beams in the floor of the building. Heretofore the leveling devices have had cast iron bases or housings which do not lend themselves to welding and had to be secured to the floor by screws as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,987,726, 3,325,145 or 5,110,082, or simply grouted in place in the floor. Also, the design of the prior art levelers was such that if a customer wanted other than a standard size base, it was difficult to provide another size base without a substantially greater price. In addition, it is desirable that the leveler it be able to shed water, cutting oils and scrap shavings, water and the like without allowing it to enter the leveler to cause rusting or malfunction should it be necessary in the future to re-level the load.
A serious problem has been that in adjusting the levelers to level the load, the workmen may over-torque the adjusting screws causing them to break or strip the threads or causing the leveling wedge to break. When such occurs the load, such as a machine tool or other heavy object, must be removed, then the leveler removed and either repaired or replaced, and the load again placed thereon, and the leveling procedure re-commenced, all of which substantially increases the cost of the installation.
I have overcome the forgoing problems of the prior art and at the same time reduced the cost of the leveler. This is accomplished by making the base of the leveler of a flat steel plate, which may be of any size desired by the customer. The upper face of this plate provides a wedge supporting surface. A hollow cover, which may be cast iron, is placed with its open face against the upper face of the base plate and screw fasteners extend through the cover and are threaded into the plate to secure the two parts together. A wedge is disposed inside the cover and rests on the upper face of the base plate. A wedge follower projects through the top of the cover, being guided therein for vertical movement, and having at its upper end an upwardly facing spherically curved load carrying surface, and at its lower end an inclined surface slidably bearing against the wedge. A wedge shifter in the form of a threaded adjusting screw extends through an end of the cover and engages the wedge to shift it to cause a rise or fall of the wedge follower. A wedge position indicator fastened to the wedge projects through the cover to indicate the position of the wedge therein. Finally, the upper surface of the cover is shaped to cause water or the like falling on the leveler to run off without entering the interior.